Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemTransformation as a motif in selected narratives: how spirituality is revealed in narrative texts in picture story books( 2003)Stories have a way of taking us beyond ourselves into a realm. that has many possibilities. Myths which are stories of our search for the deeper meaning of life enable us to find the sacred within ourselves or even to discover it in ordinary places and in other beings that may not be deemed as "sacred." Picture story books may seem ordinary everyday items but the stories within them can be powerful realisations of spirituality which is an essential part of our humanness. They have a universal appeal to children and adults alike. By living through an experience that we have read or listened to, we are affected at the deepest level. Our inner being is awoken, our imagination is stirred, our whole being is engaged. Our spirituality is nourished. We live in a secular world that is less inclined towards nurturing the spirit through the rituals and practices associated with a spirituality which has had, in the past, a religion as its anchor. "Spirituality is a term that connotes wholeness and that gives coherence to life. It informs our knowing in ways that are beyond our conscious awareness." (Elizabeth Tisdell) Therefore a simple story in the visual and written form can be a worthwhile vehicle is assisting the reader in a growing realisation of identity. A narrative can teach us about the stuff of life. In this thesis, many definitions of spirituality will be presented. I will explore how the visual and written narrative texts in the selected picture books reveal spirituality. I will demonstrate how story in the form of visual and written narrative can have a transformative effect as well as help us make sense of our own reality.